Córdoba
Córdoba (pop. 304,800), or Córdova, ancient Moorish city in Andalusia, southern Spain.
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Constance Missal to Crete
Córdoba
Córdoba (pop. 1,166,900), second-largest city in Argentina, Located on the Rio Primero in north central Argentina.
Côte d'Azur
Côte d'Azur, resort area along the eastern Mediterranean coast of France.
Constance Missal
Constance Missal, one of the earliest books printed in Europe.
Constanta
Constanta (pop. 350,700), Romanian Black Sea seaport city.
Constantine
Constantine (pop. 448,600), trading center in Algeria about 50 mi (80 km) from the Mediterranean Sea.
Constantine
Constantine, 2 kings of Greece.
The Great Constantine I
Constantine I, The Great (c.280–337), first Emperor of Rome to convert to Christianity.
Constantinople
Constantinople See: Istanbul.
Constellation
Constellation, first U.S.
Constellation
Constellation, group of stars that appear to lie in the same area of the sky.
Constipation
Constipation, decrease in the frequency of bowel actions from the norm for an individual; also increased hardness of stool.
Constitution
Constitution, system of fundamental principles or rules for the government of a nation, society, labor union, or other group that establishes basic guidelines and a framework of orderly procedure. While most Western countries have written constitutions, it is important to distinguish between written and unwritten constitutions. The written constitution of the United States specifically catalogs th…
Constitution of the United States
Constitution of the United States, supreme law of the nation. Written in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, the Constitution was approved by the 55 delegates representing the 13 original states and went into effect on March 4, 1789, after ratification by the required 9 states. The actions of the virtually autonomous states and the failure of the country's first constitution, the Articles o…
USS Constitution
Constitution, USS, American frigate carrying 44 guns, known as “Old Ironsides.” Launched in Boston in 1797, it served in the war with Tripoli and the War of 1812.
U.S. Constitutional law
Constitutional law, U.S., section of the law that interprets and enforces the provisions of the U.S. Constitution. Although the Constitution, with its 7,000 words, launched the fledgling Union as a sovereign, democratic nation, it refrained from specifying too precisely the limits of governmental power or the roles of its institutions. A closer definition of these was left to history and experienc…
Constitutional Union Party
Constitutional Union Party, U.S. political party formed from remnants of the Whig and American parties, active 1859–60.
Constructivism
Constructivism, artistic movement developed in Russia 1913–20 by Vladimir Tatlin, Naum (Pevsner) Gabo, and Antoine Pevsner.
Consul
Consul, official appointed by one country to look after its commercial and cultural interests in another country.
United States Office of Consumer Affairs
Consumer Affairs, United States Office of, U.S. government agency that handles government activity related to consumer protection.
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Federation of America (CFA), largest consumer protection agency in the United States.
Consumer Price Index
Consumer Price Index (CPI), statistical measurement of goods and services bought by most people in the United States.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer Product Safety Commission , independent U.S. government agency that sets national safety standards.
Consumer protection
Consumer protection, state, federal, and local laws that set standards for goods and services sold in the United States and the regulatory agencies that maintain these standards, as well as the efforts of consumers themselves to organize against misleading or unfair marketing practices. Scientific and technological advances have led to increasingly sophisticated goods, but modern sales methods, ad…
Consumer protection laws
Consumer protection laws, laws as they relate to consumer protection. Some landmarks of legislation in the field include The Pure Food and Drug Act (1906), prohibiting mislabeling of the contents of food, liquor, and medicine; the Agricultural Meat Inspection Act (1907), providing for federal inspection of meat-packing plants engaged in interstate shipment of meat; the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act…
Consumers Union
Consumers Union, independent, nonprofit organization that tests and rates products and services for the consumer.
Consumption
Consumption, in economics, use of goods and services.
Contact lens
Contact lens, small lens worn directly on the cornea of the eye under the eyelid to correct defects of vision.
Containerization
Containerization, method of shipping freight in large containers usually made of aluminum, steel, fiberglass, or plywood.
Contempt of court
Contempt of court, action that detracts from the dignity or authority of a court or that tends to obstruct the administration of justice.
Continent
Continent, any of the largest land masses of the earth's surface.
Continental Association
Continental Association, agreement adopted by the First Continental Congress of the American colonies.
Continental Congress
Continental Congress, legislative body that represented the 13 colonies shortly before and during the American Revolution. The First Continental Congress assembled at Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, on Sept. 5, 1774. Its purpose was to secure redress from England for its repressive political and commercial measures. Although endowed with no formal authority, 55 delegates were present, repre…
Continental divide
Continental divide, imaginary line that divides a continent at the point where its rivers start flowing in opposite directions and empty into different oceans.
Continental drift
Continental drift, theory that the continents change position over time, moving very slowly.
Continental shelf
Continental shelf, submarine rim around most of the earth's continents, extending on average about 50 mi (80 km) beyond the shoreline before dropping steeply to the ocean floor.
Continental System
Continental System, attempted economic blockade of England instituted in 1807 by Napoleon I.
Contraband
Contraband, trade forbidden by law.
Contraception
Contraception See: Birth control.
Contract
Contract, promise or agreement enforceable by law.
Contract bridge
Contract bridge See: Bridge.
Contrail
Contrail, line of cloud that forms behind aircraft flying at high altitudes.
Convent
Convent, monastic community of monks, friars, or nuns.
Convertibility
Convertibility, in economics, financial arrangement under which currencies of different countries can be exchanged for each other.
Convertiplane
Convertiplane See: V/STOL.
Conveyor belt
Conveyor belt, device that mechanically conveys material.
Convoy
Convoy, fleet of merchant or other unarmed vessels sailing under the protective escort of a warship.
Convulsion
Convulsion, involuntary contraction of the muscles of the body.
Cony
Cony See: Hyrax.
Frederick Albert Cook
Cook, Frederick Albert (1865–1940), U.S. explorer who claimed to have climbed Mt.
Cook Islands
Cook Islands, two groups of coral islands in the South Pacific Ocean, discovered by British captain James Cook in 1773.
James Cook
Cook, James (1728–79), English navigator and explorer.
Jay Cooke
Cooke, Jay (1821–1905), U.S. financier who helped the federal government finance the Civil War.
Terence James Cardinal Cooke
Cooke, Terence James Cardinal (1921–1983), U.S.
Cooking
Cooking, preparation of food for consumption, by heating.
Cooley's anemia
Cooley's anemia See: Thalassemia.
(John) Calvin Coolidge
Coolidge, (John) Calvin (1872–1933), 30th president of the United States. From a farming community in Vermont, Coolidge was taciturn, cautious, and conservative—qualities that made him popular in the aftermath of U.S. involvement in World War I. Coolidge graduated from Amherst College, studied law in Northampton, Mass., and was admitted to the bar in 1897. In 1905 he married Grace Go…
Gary Cooper
Cooper, Gary (1901–61), U.S. film actor.
James Fenimore Cooper
Cooper, James Fenimore (1789–1851), one of the first important U.S. novelists, who created a number of colorful and enduring characters of the early American frontier.
Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr.
Cooper, Leroy Gordon, Jr. (1927– ), first U.S. astronaut to make two orbital space flights.
Peter Cooper
Cooper, Peter (1791–1883), U.S. inventor, manufacturer, politician, and philanthropist.
Cooperative
Cooperative, association of producers and consumers for the purpose of sharing among the members profits that would otherwise go to intermediate businesses and individuals.
Cooperative education
Cooperative education, method of combining classroom and practical work experience.
Cooperative Extension System
Cooperative Extension System, U.S. nationwide educational network.
Cooperstown
Cooperstown (pop. 2180), village in central New York State; the seat of Otsego County.
Coot
Coot (genus Fulica), common member of the rail family of water birds.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen (pop. 1.342,700), seaport capital of Denmark, on Sjaelland and Amager islands.
Copepod
Copepod, small crustacean of subclass Copepoda.
Nicolaus Copernicus
Copernicus, Nicolaus (1473–1543), Polish astronomer who put forward the theory that the earth and other planets orbit the sun. Until the time of Copernicus, Ptolemy's theory that the earth was the center of the universe and that heavenly bodies, with the exception of the “fixed” stars, rotated around it, was generally accepted. Copernicus studied mathematics and astrono…
Aaron Copland
Copland, Aaron (1900–90), U.S. composer.
John Singleton Copley
Copley, John Singleton (1783–1815), portrait painter of colonial Massachusetts.
Copper
Copper, chemical element, symbol Cu; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Copperhead
Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), pit viper of hilly country in the eastern United States.
Copperheads
Copperheads, Northern Democrats who advocated peace with the Confederacy during the Civil War and who opposed President Lincoln's war policy.
Copra
Copra, dried kernel (endosperm) of the coconut fruit, from which oil is extracted.
Coptic Church
Coptic Church, Christian church that derives from the church of Alexandria in pre-Muslim Egypt.
Copyright
Copyright, exclusive right of an author or other creator to publish or sell his or her works. When a work has been copyrighted, other firms and individuals must have permission from the holder of the copyright in order to reproduce the work. If they do so without permission, the holder of the copyright may sue for damages and for an order to stop publication or distribution. Most published books a…
Coral
Coral, small, sedentary marine invertebrate of the class Anthozoa.
Coral Sea
Coral Sea, part of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, between the northeast coast of Australia and the Solomon Islands.
Coral snake
Coral snake, slender poisonous snake (genus Micrurus) of the Western Hemisphere.
James John Corbett
Corbett, James John (1866–1933), U.S. boxer.
Margaret Cochran Corbin
Corbin, Margaret Cochran (1751–1800), American Revolutionary War hero.
Corbusier
Corbusier See: Le Corbusier.
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art, art museum in Washington, D.C.
Charlotte Corday
Corday, Charlotte (1768–93), French assassin of the French revolutionary Jean Paul Marat.
Cordillera
Cordillera (Spanish “chain”), geographical description applied to extended mountain systems in western North America, from Alaska to Nicaragua, including the Rocky Mountains and the Andes.
Cordite
Cordite, smokeless gunpowder.
Cordoba
Cordoba, monetary unit of Nicaragua, equal to 100 centavos.
CORE
CORE See: Congress of Racial Equality.
Arcangelo Corelli
Corelli, Arcangelo (1653–1713), Italian composer.
Coreopsis
Coreopsis, genus of summer-blooming plant also known as tickseed.
Corgi
Corgi See: Cardigan Welsh corgi; Welsh corgi.
Coriander
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), small annual plant of the carrot family, the seeds of which are used as a spice and for medicinal purposes.
Corinth
Corinth (pop. 22,500), ancient city of Greece situated on the isthmus between the mainland and Peloponnesus.
Epistles to the Corinthians
Corinthians, Epistles to the, two letters written by St.
Gaius Marcius Coriolanus
Coriolanus, Gaius Marcius (fl.5th century B.C.), Roman general.
Coriolis force
Coriolis force, apparent curvature of the path of a moving object due to the rotation of the earth.
Cork
Cork (pop. 173,700), second largest city in Ireland (after Dublin) situated at the mouth of the Lee River, in the southwest of the republic.
Cork
Cork, spongy tissue in the bark of trees that acts as an insulation and protection to the delicate growing tissues.
George Henry Corliss
Corliss, George Henry (1817–88), U.S. engineer who contributed to the perfection of the steam engine.
Corm
Corm, thick underground stem used by certain plants (e.g., crocus, gladiolus) to store food over the winter to get them ready for flowering in the spring.
Cormorant
Cormorant, any of a number of long-necked seabirds (family Phalacrocoracidae).
Corn
Corn, or maize (Zea mays), grain crop cultivated in the Americas long before the arrival of Europeans and now grown extensively throughout the world.
Corn borer
Corn borer, caterpillars of a moth, especially the Old World maize moth, that feeds on a variety of plants, including beet, beans, and corn.
Corn earworm
Corn earworm, larval stage of moth (Heliothis zea) in the owlet moth family (Noctuidae).
Corn laws
Corn laws, various laws regulating English import and export of grain from the 14th century to 1849.
Corn oil
Corn oil, vegetable oil derived from the kernel of the corn plant.
Corn syrup
Corn syrup, syrup prepared from cornstarch and containing glucose combined with dextrin and maltose.
Cornea
Cornea See: Eye.
Corneal transplant
Corneal transplant See: Eye bank.
Pierre Corneille
Corneille, Pierre (1606–84), French dramatist, creator of French classical verse tragedy.
Ezra Cornell
Cornell, Ezra (1807–74), U.S. businessman, pioneer in telegraphy.
Katharine Cornell
Cornell, Katharine (1898–1974), U.S. stage actress, noted for her major roles in serious dramas, often directed by her husband, Guthrie McClintic.
Cornell University
Cornell University, nonsectarian, coeducational university founded in 1865 and located in Ithaca, N.Y.
Corner Brook
Corner Brook (pop. 22,800), town in Newfoundland, Canada, on the Bay of Islands, near the mouth of the Humber River.
Cornering the market
Cornering the market, investment term for a speculator conspiracy to drive up stock prices.
Cornet
Cornet, trumpetlike valved brass wind instrument.
Cornflower
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), annual herb whose flowers are used for medicinal purposes.
Corning
Corning (pop. 11,936), city in southwestern New York State, situated on the Chemung River.
Cornplanter
Cornplanter (c. 1740–1836), Seneca chief who aided the British during the American Revolution.
Cornstalk
Cornstalk (1720?–77), Shawnee chief who led his tribe in wars against colonial settlers in the Ohio Territory.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch, fine white flour extracted from corn.
Cornucopia
Cornucopia, or horn of plenty, curved goat's horn symbolizing nature's abundance.
Charles Cornwallis Cornwallis t Marquis of (1s)
Cornwallis, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquis of (1738–1805), British general whose surrender to Washington at Yorktown (Oct. 19, 1781) ended the Revolutionary War.
Corona
Corona, outer atmosphere of the sun or other stars.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
Coronado, Francisco Vásquez de (1510–54), Spanish explorer.
Coronary thrombosis
Coronary thrombosis, myocardial infarction, or heart attack, one of the commonest causes of serious illness and death in Western countries.
Coronation
Coronation, ceremony of crowning a sovereign, usually consisting of a solemn ritual of religious as well as secular significance.
Coroner
Coroner, public official who investigates sudden, suspicious, or violent death, sometimes with the aid of a jury.
Jean Baptiste Camille Corot
Corot, Jean Baptiste Camille (1796–1875), French landscape painter.
Corporation
Corporation, group of persons regarded as a legal entity apart from the individuals owning or managing it. As a legal person, a corporation can hold property and sue and be sued. Corporations may be either private or public. The corporate form of business organization has at least 4 advantages. (1) It safeguards its owners, relieving them of legal responsibility as individuals when they act as age…
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), U.S. non-profit organization formed to promote public television and radio.
Corps
Corps, unit of a military force, usually a tactical division consisting of 2 or more subdivisions.
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi (pop. 349,894), city in southeastern Texas situated on the Corpus Christi Bay of the Texas Gulf Coast, seat of Nueces County.
Corpus Christi Naval Air Station
Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, headquarters of the U.S.
Corpuscle
Corpuscle, in biology, isolated cell, usually one that can move freely in fluid and is not fixed in tissue.
Correggio
Correggio (Antonio Allegri; 1494–1534), Italian Renaissance painter who influenced the Baroque style.
Corregidor
Corregidor, fortified island near the entrance to Manila Bay and the Philippines.
Corrosion
Corrosion, gradual destruction of a substance, usually a metal, by chemical action.
Corsica
Corsica, Mediterranean island and French department north of Sardinia, off the coast of western Italy, occupying 3,352 sq mi (8,682 sq km).
Hernando Cortés
Cortés, Hernando (1485–1547), Spanish explorer, conqueror of Mexico.
cerebral Cortex
Cortex, cerebral See: Brain.
Corticosteroid
Corticosteroid See: Cortisone.
Juan Nepomuceno Cortina
Cortina, Juan Nepomuceno (1824–94), civil rights leader who fought for fair treatment of Mexican Americans.
Cortisone
Cortisone, one of the group of hormones secreted by the cortex of the adrenal glands.
Corundum
Corundum, mineral consisting of alumina (aluminum oxide, Al2O3) and second in hardness only to diamond.
Bill Cosby
Cosby, Bill (William Henry Cosby, Jr.; 1937–), U.S. entertainer.
Cosimo de' Medici
Cosimo de' Medici See: Medici.
Cosmetics
Cosmetics, preparations applied to the human body to beautify or alter appearance.
Cosmic rays
Cosmic rays, highly penetrating radiation that strikes the earth, assumed to originate in interstellar space.
Cosmology
Cosmology, study of how the universe originated and how it has evolved. There are 2 main theories. The first, known as the evolutionary theory, pictures the universe as having been born, and as evolving and eventually dying. The popular name for this theory is the “big bang” theory, because it assumes that all the material in the universe was at one time packed tightly together and w…
Cosmonaut
Cosmonaut See: Astronaut.
Cosmos
Cosmos, term for the universe and all its components.
Cosmos
Cosmos, genus of tropical fall-blooming flowers of the Compositae family.
Cossacks
Cossacks, Slavic warrior peasants living on the Ukrainian steppe and famed for horsemanship.
Cost-benefit analysis
Cost-benefit analysis, comparison study of costs versus benefits.
Cost-of-living index
Cost-of-living index, number or device showing how the cost of living compares at a certain time with the cost at a given time in the past, called the base period.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, republic in the southern part of Central America, between Nicaragua and Panama. Costa Rica is the second smallest of the Central American republics, measuring between 75 and 175 mi (121 and 282 km) from the Caribbean to the Pacific coasts. San Jose is the capital. Costa Rica consists of tropical coastal plains, chains of mountain ranges running in a northwest-southeast direction throug…
John Aloysius Costello
Costello, John Aloysius (1891–1976), Irish prime minister(1948–51,1954–57).
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi, highest active volcano in the world.
Cottage industry
Cottage industry, term used to describe the structure of industry, particularly the spinning and weaving industry in Britain, before the Industrial Revolution.
Cotton
Each cotton fiber is an elongated plant cell made up of 90% cellulose. Unlike other natural fibers, the cotton fiber has 200–400 twists per inch (500–1,000 twists per cm) along its length. These give it excellent spinning characteristics. The quality of cotton is measured in terms of the length and fineness of the lint. Egyptian-type cotton, grown mainly in Egypt, the Sudan, a…
Cotton gin
Cotton gin, machine that separates cotton fibers from the seeds, leaves, and other unwanted matter.
John Cotton
Cotton, John (1584–1652), powerful Puritan minister of Boston, Mass., noted for his didactic writings.
Cottonmouth
Cottonmouth See: Water moccasin.
Cottonseed oil
Cottonseed oil, edible oil extracted from cottonseeds.
Cottontail
Cottontail See: Rabbit.
Cottonwood
Cottonwood, tree (genus Populus) of the willow family with windblown seeds surrounded by tufts of cottonlike hairs.
Cotyledon
Cotyledon, first leaf developed by a seed plant's embryo.
Cougar
Cougar See: Mountain lion.
Charles Edward Coughlin
Coughlin, Charles Edward (1891–1969), U.S.
Coulee Dam
Coulee Dam See: Grand Coulee Dam.
Coulomb
Coulomb (coul or C), unit of electricity, the quantity of electricity that must pass through a circuit to deposit .0000394 oz (0.0011180 g) of silver from a solution of silver nitrate.
Charles Augustin de Coulomb
Coulomb, Charles Augustin de (1736–1806), French physicist noted for his researches into friction, torsion, electricity, and magnetism.
Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation, reform movement in the Roman Catholic Church during the 16th and 17th centuries. It arose in part as a reaction against the Reformation, which attacked the Church and in the end offered as an alternative the independent Protestant churches founded by Luther and Calvin. The Counter-Reformation, on the other hand, proposed to reform the Church from within. One of the first moves…
Counterpoint
Counterpoint, in music, art of combining 2 or more different melodic lines simultaneously in a composition.
Country
Country, political nation with geographic boundaries.
Country and western music
Country and western music, broad category of popular music that has its roots in rural American music of the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly in the South where black music, religious music, and British folk music fused into a unique American musical genre. Most songs are deeply personal and deal with themes of love, loneliness, and separation, but maintain a strong sense of faith in the huma…
County
County, territorial division of local government.
County agricultural extension agent
County agricultural extension agent, U.S. government official who advises farmers about agricultural issues.
County extension home economist
County extension home economist, U.S. government official who advises families about consumer education and nutrition.
Coup d'état
Coup d'état (French, “stroke of state”), sudden and unlawful takeover of a government, usually the result of a country's unsteady and unbalanced politics.
François Le Grand Couperin
Couperin, François Le Grand (1668–1733), French composer, organist, and harpsichordist, of a family of musicians that included Louis Couperin (1626–61), his uncle.
Gustave Courbet
Courbet, Gustave (1819–77), 19th-century French painter, an early realist.
Coureurs de bois
Coureurs de bois, French-Canadian adventurers, who in the late 1600s and early 1700s, traded furs with the Native Americans.
Courser
Courser, any of a genus (Pluvianus) of long-legged, short-winged, desert birds, particular to Australia, India, and Africa.
Court
Court, judicial portion of government, responsible for the administration of justice. The term also refers to the building in which courts sit and to the proceedings themselves. A typical U.S. court consists of 1 or more judges, a jury when required, attorneys for both parties to the dispute, a bailiff or marshal who carries out court orders and preserves order, and a clerk who records the proceed…
Court-martial
Court-martial, court for the trial of offenses against military rules and regulations.
Court reporter
Court reporter, stenographer who records the proceedings in a court of law.
Jacques- Cousteau
Cousteau, Jacques-Yves (1910–97), French oceanographer who pioneered underwater exploration.
Bob Cousy
Cousy, Bob (Robert Joseph Cousy; 1928– ), U.S. basketball player.
Covenanters
Covenanters, 16th- and 17th-century Scottish Presbyterians pledged by covenants to defend their religion against Anglican influences.
Coventry
Coventry (pop. 312,200), cathedral city in England, southeast of Birmingham.
Covered wagon
Covered wagon See: Conestoga wagon.
Covington
Covington (pop. 43,264), city in northern Kentucky, situated on the Ohio River across from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cow parsnip
Cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum), large perennial plant of the carrot family.
Sir Noel Pierce Coward
Coward, Sir Noel Pierce (1899–1973), English actor, playwright, and composer.
Cowbird
Cowbird, bird of the blackbird family (Icteridae), so named because it follows cattle and feeds on the insects they stir up.
Cowboy
Cowboy, person who handles cattle on horseback. The U.S. cowboy has become a legendary folk hero, celebrated in innumerable films and novels. In the early 1800s in areas such as Texas (then part of Mexico), settlers took over the Spanish practice of using the plains for grazing cattle. At the same time they borrowed from the Spanish the typical equipment and methods of the cattle herder: broad-bri…
Henry Dixon Cowell
Cowell, Henry Dixon (1897–1965), U.S. composer.
Abraham Cowley
Cowley, Abraham (1618–67), English poet and essayist of the metaphysical and neoclassical periods.
Cowpea
Cowpea, or black-eyed pea (Vigna sinen-sis), member of the pea family, cultivated widely in warmer climates for its edible beans.
William Cowper
Cowper, William (1731–1800), 18th-century English poet.
Cowpox
Cowpox See: Jenner, Edward.
Cowrie
Cowrie, any of a variety of mollusks (family Cyprocidae) with shells that have spirals like those of snails but that are obscured by the final dome-shaped twist.
Cowslip
Cowslip, or marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), marsh plant with large yellow flowers, related to the buttercup.
James Middleton Cox
Cox, James Middleton (1870–1957), U.S. politician and journalist who championed liberal reform.
Coyote
Coyote, or prairie wolf (Canis latrans), wild dog of North America.
Antoine Coysevox
Coysevox, Antoine (1640–1720), French sculptor.
James Gould Cozzens
Cozzens, James Gould (1903–78), U.S. novelist.
CPR
CPR See: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Battle of Crécy
Crécy, Battle of, key battle in the Hundred Years War between England and France, fought in 1346.
Crédit Mobilier of America
Crédit Mobilier of America, construction company instrumental in building the Union Pacific railroad in the 1860s.
Crab
Crab, crustacean with 10 pairs of legs, the first pair usually modified as pincers. Crabs start life as small, swimming larvae that look more like lobsters. After molting several times the larva settles on the bottom and becomes an adult crab, with the typical rounded shell protecting the body. Most crabs are marine or live in brackish water, feeding on small animals and carrion that are torn up w…
Crab apple
Crab apple (genus Malus, family Roseceae), tree that bears small tart-tasting apples, and has fragrant white or pink flowers.
Craft
Craft See: Handicraft.
Craft union
Craft union See: Labor movement.
Cramp
Cramp, painful contraction of muscle—often in the legs.
Lucas Cranach The Elder
Cranach, Lucas, The Elder (1472–1553), German painter and engraver.
Cranberry
Cranberry, berry-bearing shrub (genus Oxycoccus) found in wet bogs or heaths or in flooded areas known as cranberry bogs.
Prudence Crandall
Crandall, Prudence (1803–90), U.S. educator.
Crane
Crane, long-necked, long-legged bird of the family Gruidae.
Crane
Crane, machine designed to lift loads and move them horizontally.
Hart Crane
Crane, Hart (Harold Crane; 1899–1932), U.S. poet.
Stephen Crane
Crane, Stephen (1871–1900), U.S. author.
Walter Crane
Crane, Walter (1845–1915), English artist and book illustrator.
Thomas Cranmer
Cranmer, Thomas (1489–1556), first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury and English martyr. He was an outstanding scholar and one of the leaders of the English Reformation. He obtained the favor of Henry VIII by proposing to refer the question of the annulment of the king's marriage to Catherine of Aragon to the European universities rather than to the pope. He became the king'…
Alan Macgregor Cranston
Cranston, Alan Macgregor (1914– ), U.S. senator.
Crappie
Crappie, any of a genus (Pomoxis) of freshwater sunfishes that have been spread across the United States from the east because of their popularity with anglers.
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Crassus, Marcus Licinius (112–53B.C.), Roman general and political leader.
Crater
Crater, depression on the surface of the earth or other celestial body.
Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park, national park in the Cascade Mountains of southwest Oregon.
Crawfish
Crawfish See: Crayfish.
Joan Crawford
Crawford, Joan (1908–77), U.S. film actress noted for her roles as self-made, tough-minded women.
Crayfish
Crayfish, or crawfish, edible freshwater crustacean found in ponds and streams in most parts of the world except Africa.
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse (c. 1849–77), Native American leader, chief of the Oglala Sioux.
Creationism
Creationism, also known as Creation Science, theory held by fundamentalist Christians that the Earth and living things were created as described in Genesis rather than through a process of evolution.
Credit
Credit, delivery of goods, services, or money with a promise of payment in the future, usually with an interest charge.
Credit Union
Credit Union, cooperative bank formed by the members of a company, church, labor union, or other organization.
Cree
Cree, Native American tribe originating in Manitoba.
Creek
Creek, Native American confederation of tribes and settlements in Alabama and Georgia.
Robert Creeley
Creeley, Robert (1926– ), U.S. poet and author.
Creeper
Creeper, any of several small brown birds of the treecreeper family, found in most parts of the world.
Creole
Creole, term used to describe the descendants of Spanish, Portuguese, and French settlers in the West Indies, Latin America, and parts of the United States.
Creosote
Creosote, thick, oily liquid made by distilling coal or wood tar.
Creosote bush
Creosote bush (Larrea divaricata), evergreen shrub that grows in the deserts of Mexico and southwestern United States.
Cresol
Cresol, or hydroxytoluene, group of organic chemical compounds.
Cress
Cress, any of various plants of the mustard family.
Cretaceous period
Cretaceous period, geological period from about 140 to 65 million years ago.
Crete
Crete, mountainous island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, about 3,235 sq mi (8,380 sq km).